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Loading... Foucault's Pendulum (original 1988; edition 2007)by Umberto Eco (Author)
Work InformationFoucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco (1988)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Absorbing and thought-provoking; a demanding but worthy read. ( ) Eco presupposes whatever information available to a person at any point in time is open to multiple valid interpretations. This is true both of a small number of facts and an archive of complex detail. Certain characters evidently do not see the world quite the same way, leaving themselves vulnerable to all manner of conspiracy theory, and the consequences of treating such conspiracies as true. Perhaps more interesting, even characters who begin from Eco's cautionary position eventually prove vulnerable despite -- or because of -- their intent to manipulate their gullible peers. Eco's byzantine plot explores conspiracy theories historically and psychologically through various machinations, diversions, and escalating fear of and among characters. Connections and confusion proliferate as more historical events are considered, by characters and reader. Eco further implicates the reader in employing various literary devices and historical allusions within his descriptions of character and plot. (LTer Grunin provides a succinct and vivid example, but instances are legion: "This book deliberately messes with your head.") The character of Gudrun seems to offer an alternative to the unfounded conspiracy and paranoia on display: along with hermeneutic intent, a person does well in bringing a certain psychological outlook to bear. This re-reading was prompted both by fond (admittedly vague) memories of a solid historical summary of the Knights Templar, and curiosity as to whether Eco's theme would shed light on our prevailing culture of disinformation and antifoundationalism. I also held out hope Eco may have treated of esoteric traditions beyond the Templar, as well, which I had simply forgotten since my first reading: perhaps Freemasonry, Ordo Templi Orientis, Golden Dawn, Thelema? Foucault's Pendulum did not disappoint.
Umberto Eco has launched a novel that is even more intricate and absorbing than his international best seller The Name of the Rose. Unlike its predecessor, Foucault's Pendulum does not restrict its range of interests to monastic, medieval arcana. This time Eco's framework is vast -- capacious enough to embrace reams of ancient, abstruse writings and a host of contemporary references or allusions... True believers, skeptics, those waffling in between: all are in for a scarifying shock of recognition. You may call the book an intellectual triumph, if not a fictional one. No man should know so much. It is the work not of a literary man but of one who accepts the democracy of signs. .... To see what Mr. Eco is really getting at, the reader of his fiction or pseudofiction should consult his scholarly works, where observation and interpretation are not disguised as entertainment. I don't think ''Foucault's Pendulum'' is entertainment any more than was ''The Name of the Rose.'' It will appeal to readers who have a puritanical tinge - those who think they are vaguely sinning if they are having a good time with a book. To be informed, however, is holy. I doubt if we will see a more exhilarating novel published this year, and you don't have to take a reviewer's word for it: can 600,000 Italians be wrong? U ovom delu Eko se lucidno podsmehnuo svim teorijama zavere od srednjeg veka do danas. Posle čitanja ovog romana sigurno je da će mnogi čitaoci pohrliti da obogate svoja saznanja o alhemiji, kabali i srednjovekovnim tajnim društvima. U ovom romanu Eko se lucidno podsmehnuo svim teorijama zavere od srednjeg veka do danas. U ovom delu Eko se lucidno podsmehnuo svim teorijama zavere od srednjeg veka do danas. Posle čitanja ovog romana sigurno je da će mnogi čitaoci pohrliti da obogate svoja saznanja o alhemiji, kabali i srednjovekovnim tajnim društvima. U ovom romanu Eko se lucidno podsmehnuo svim teorijama zavere od srednjeg veka do danas. Belongs to Publisher SeriesIs contained inContainsHas the adaptationAwardsNotable Lists
Bored with their work, three Milanese editors cook up "the Plan," a hoax that connects the medieval Knights Templar with other occult groups from ancient to modern times. This produces a map indicating the geographical point from which all the powers of the earth can be controlled-a point located in Paris, France, at Foucault's Pendulum. But in a fateful turn the joke becomes all too real, and when occult groups, including Satanists, get wind of the Plan, they go so far as to kill one of the editors in their quest to gain control of the earth. Orchestrating these and other diverse characters into his multilayered semiotic adventure, Eco has created a superb cerebral entertainment. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)853.914Literature Italian and related languages Italian fiction 1900- 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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